Christmas with Derek
by sktrgrrl9
Summary: ."If you're too worried about resisting certain...urges," Derek smirked, "I'll completely understand."
1. Holiday Intentions

She sighed. _Why is this so hard? _she asked herself.

Casey McDonald was standing at the counter of Best Buy, staring long and hard through the glass at the digital cameras.

_Ah, that's right…because I'm _broke.

Christmas was nearing, and Casey wanted to give her mom an extra special gift. However, since her firing from Smelly Nelly's, her income was, well, a little _lacking_. But what could she do? She'd already applied at the local Wal-Mart's and pharmacies. After getting no response from them, she even tried getting a job at _McDonald's_.

How great would _that_ be? "Hi! Yes, my last name is McDonald. No, I'm not in any way related to the founders of this place. Yeah, it's hilarious. 'McDonald working at McDonald's'. Wow, sir…you sure are original. Now do you, or do you _not_, want fries with that?"

But—thank heavens—she was declined the job position. Still, she was getting desperate. Even her stepbrother _Derek_ had supposedly finished all of _his_ holiday shopping. Yeah, Derek! Mr. "Damn-_Straight_-This-World-Revolves-Around-Me". Then again, _his_ idea of holiday shopping may have been getting gifts just for him. And Marti, of course. She'd probably disown him if he didn't get her anything. George would probably shake his head with that "Derek will be Derek" look. Nora would pretend it didn't matter, but secretly be crushed inside. Edwin's gift would be a coupon for one free punch or something. Lizzie would get one of Derek's old, broken hockey sticks.

And Casey? Probably a nice insult about her outfit or hair. Nothing less would be expected.

"Can I help you with something, ma'am?" a store clerk asked.

Casey's head snapped up. _Ma'am?_ she thought bitterly. _Do I _**look** _like I'm 30?_ However, she held her tongue. It was the holidays, after all.

"Yeah…how much for that black one in the corner?" she asked, pointing to the sleek Kodak digital camera.

Her mom had been obsessing about digital cameras ever since Mrs. Davis had shown off her new $2,200 one. It was insane, really, because unless she was preparing to become a professional photographer or going to do some _serious_ spying on the neighbors, Casey couldn't imagine why anyone would want one _that_ high-tech and expensive. Her mom agreed, thankfully, but admitted that it'd be nice to have one around the house for memory-capturing. So, after talking with George, Casey decided she'd be the one to get her mom a nice camera for Christmas.

That was _before_ she suddenly became unemployed. Now all she could do was stare longingly and question just how bad, really, a quick couple jobs on the city streets would be…

"Ah, yes," the clerk began, removing the camera from the glass case. "This one's been going fast. Nice selection, indeed, ma'am."

Casey rolled her eyes and held her tongue yet again. "Can I see it?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Can't you see it from here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, thanks, but I'd like to see how it _works_."

"Oh, so you'd like to _hold_ it."

"Um, yeah, I guess that's what I'm getting at. Can I?"

The clerk gave her a look. You know that look; the one that says, "I hate to burst your bubble, but—oh, who am I kidding. Like I give a _crap_ about you **or** your bubble." He gently set the camera down and folded his hands together. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but unless you're buying it—and I need to literally _see_ the money—you're not allowed to _touch_ the merchandise."

"And that's great, _sir_, but it'd only be for a couple seconds. And you'd be right there!" she replied, pointing at his position behind the desk. She sighed and tried to reason with him. "See, I'm trying to find the perfect gift for my mother…"

Mr. Ma'am gave her a tight smile, and replied curtly, "Then may I suggest Joann_ Fabrics_?"

That was it. Casey McDonald had had enough. She slapped her palms down on the glass counter and leaned over, getting right in his face. "Listen, _mister_, I'm sick of you people—you-you…jerks!" Oh, yeah. When it came to insults, Casey McDonald was the master. "How freaking _hard_ is it to hand over the damn camera and just LET me SEE it?!"

His tight smile faltered, eyes narrowing. He stiffly backed away, walking towards his desk. Once there, he reached a hand under and pressed a red button. His smile returned while he stood there, arms crossed over his chest.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but you have to come with me," a deep voice came from behind, not too long after.

"I am SEVENTEEN! _Seventeen _you MORONS!" she cried. She spun around, only to find herself _thump_ against someone's chest. As she looked up at the guy in the blue uniform, she immediately recognized him.

"_You?!_" she screeched.


	2. Classic Venturi

**A/N: Ahh...the second chap of my first fanfic. I decided I'd done enough mooning over everyone else's stories. Not that I'm going to stop doing that anytime soon [you're not that lucky... I'd just like to get my own story out there.**

**Disclaimer:** I've read some hilarious ones, but before I lamely attempt to come up with one of my own...I think I'll just have to go with "I don't own Life With Derek." [So very, very lame.

_Anyways...on with the story..._

* * *

"And _you!_ Casey, Casey, Casey…I never took you for the unruly type. Tell me, do George and Nora know you're going around, store to store, _harassing_ the employees?" 

Yes, that's right…it was none other than _Derek Venturi._ Casey slapped her hands over her face, groaning. "Why me? Why now?" She removed her hands, glaring at him. "And why _you_? When did you become Mr. Security Guard? What happened to your job at Smelly Nelly's?"

He smirked. "Nothing. Still got it. Oh, and I'm not necessarily a security guard yet…I'm training though. Still: it pays."

Casey shook her head, trying to make sense of everything. "Wait a minute…you mean you have _two_ jobs!?"

His smirk only got even more profound.

"You know this girl, Venturi?" the store clerk asked after watching them for a moment. "Don't tell me you're _dating_ her…"

"Hey!" Casey snapped, turning around to shoot him dirty look. "What's _that_ supposed to mean, smarta—"

"_Casey_!" Derek quipped, yanking her back around by the arm. "You seriously do _not_ want to mess with the staff." He turned to the clerk. "And no, Robert, we're not…_dating_. She's my stepsister, dude…"

Robert snorted. "And for that, I am _so_ sorry."

Derek nodded grievingly. "Tell me about it, man."

Casey whacked his shoulder. "I'm right here, _stupid_." She took a deep breath and turned to face Robert. "Listen…I didn't mean to freak out like that. I'm sorry."

Robert nodded solemnly. "So am I," he replied. "Sorry for the other employees who have to deal with a Christmas Nazi like _you_…"

Casey's jaw dropped and she lunged at him from across the counter, only to be grabbed at the waist by Derek. He was laughing, pulling her away. "Sorry, Rob! She's going home now."

"Ugh! Let me _go_, Derek!" she shrieked as Derek hiked her up, hanging her over his shoulder. She banged her fists into his back, now throwing a tantrum. Derek let out a grunt of pain as one of her fists hit his spine with great force, but he didn't falter.

As he reached the automatic doors, one of the cashier boys shouted to him, "Way to go, Venturi!" and the rest of the employees gave him a round of applause.

Casey finally gave up, limply dangling over his shoulder. "Wow…I think I can literally _hear_ your ego growing. Fantastic."

Derek finally set her down, beaming. "Just doing my job, ma'am."

She gave his shoulder a hard punch this time, and he glared at her, rubbing the spot.

"Who's the pretty lady?" asked what looked like the head security guard. He was leaning against the Best Buy brick wall, smoking. As he made his way over, he stomped out the cigarette and gave Casey a big grin.

"Ew…" she muttered under her breath.

"Had I known _this_ is what Robert was calling about, I would've gone and checked it out _myself_," he said slowly, eyeing her over. He was a particularly overweight-early-twenties looking guy, but the wrinkles on his face made him look older. Casey guessed this was from the smoking.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Save your breath, Joey."

"Ah, so you've already staked your claim, huh?"

Derek looked at him, genuinely confused, and Casey shook her head at Derek's stupidity. Suddenly he processed what Joey meant and began shaking his head fervently. "Oh! No! No _way_, man. Gross…she's my _stepsister_…"

Joey simply shrugged. "So? If I had a stepsister as _hot_ as yours, I'd—"

"Let's keep that between you and your lube, 'kay?" Derek interrupted, holding up a hand.

Casey buried her face in her hands for the second time that day. "This has got to be the _worst_ shopping trip of my _life_," she griped.

"Aw, it can't be _that_ bad," Derek replied, smirking. "After all, you got to be carried by _me_. Do you know _how_ many girls would've killed to be in your shoes?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Let me call the mental institution and take a poll," she countered, proceeding to roll her eyes.

Derek glared at her, for once not having anything to comment back with. Joey just looked from Derek to Casey, Casey to Derek.

"Are you _sure_ you two aren't…ya know…" he asked slyly, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"_Yes!_" they both shouted.

Joey held his hands up defensively. "_Sorry_."

Casey rubbed her temples, shaking her head. "Alright, well, as _great_ as this has been—I'm going home. Have fun protecting the store…or…whatever," she huffed, turning to leave.

She heard Derek let out a sigh from behind her. "Just _how_ important is this stupid present for Nora?"

A smile spread across her lips. Before turning around, she put on a pout she knew he secretly couldn't resist. "Really, _really_ important…I mean, this is the _last_ Christmas with all of us together before you and I go off to college. I want to leave her with a really special present, you know?"

Yeah, it was a stretch, but it looked like she'd won him over. Derek narrowed his eyes at her. _Damn_, he thought, _when did she get so _good_ at that stupid pouting thing?_ "Okay, fine. I have a…_proposition_ for you," he began, giving his classic smirk.

**A/N: Aaaand...that's the second chap. Review, if you wish. I'd like that...but ehh, I'll survive if you don't.**

**Hopefully. I'd hate to pass away two days before Christmas...**


	3. The Proposition

**A/N: Yup...the third chapter. I'm hoping to update again sometime tonight. Thank you SO much for the wonderful reviews!! I won't lie...they made me beam. :)**

**K...well here it is. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Casey rolled her eyes, suddenly not sure if she wanted to know what his "proposition" might be. Joey just stood there, watching the two like an episode of some TV show, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Having two jobs, myself, I obviously have _more_ than enough money to spare in _my_ piggy bank—"

"Dude," Joey interrupted, forehead knitted. "You have a _piggy_ _bank_? And you're, what, 18?" He shook his head. "Is it an _actual_ pig? Or is it one of those—"

Derek ran a hand over his face. "Joey! It's an _expression!_" He turned back to Casey and continued on with his proposal. "As I was _saying_, I have enough money to cover your stupid camera."

Casey shook her head. "No. I told George I'd buy the camera for my mom with my _own_ money."

"Casey, Casey, _Casey_," Derek began. His stepsister was _really_ starting to hate the sound of her name. "Did you honestly think I'd be the Random Good Deed type of guy and actually buy the camera _for_ you, without anything in return?"

He did have a point. "Fine…what exactly do you have in mind?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'll buy the camera. _Today_, in fact…if you'll just follow my orders from now until Christmas."

Casey scoffed. "And _what_ makes you think I'd actually go for that?"

"Oh, I don't know," he replied, shrugging. "But I _do_ recall you saying—just five minutes ago, actually—something about this being our _last_ Christmas together…really special present…blah, blah, blah."

Casey sighed. "And?" She didn't even have to ask, but she did so anyways. She knew _exactly_ where he was going with this…

"And that's great, Case…really nice. But there's just _one_ teensy problem: you don't have a job, which equals no money, which equals _no_ present. That is, unless, you want to try the "five-finger-discount", but I _highly_ doubt even Bad Casey would go for that," he finished, voice ringing with sarcasm.

"Hey!" Casey snapped defensively. "I can be bad!"

Derek raised both eyebrows, and a slow, shady smile appeared on Joey's lips.

Casey shuddered and Derek stifled a laugh. "You better watch what you say around this horn-dog, Case…" He turned to Joey, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But seriously, man, why don't you go mess with Kyle's head for a couple minutes? Casey and I have to finish…_negotiating_."

Joey suddenly looked determined. "You're right, dude. Kyle actually looks _happy_ today…"

Derek shook his head, grimacing. "We can't have that. Tell him someone blew chunks in the movie aisle. As soon as he leaves, do your worst."

"Sweet," Joey replied, smiling from ear to ear.

Once he left, Casey stared after him in confusion. "Kyle?"

"The manager," Derek answered simply.

"Right. Shouldn't Joey be somewhere…else? Like, possibly, _college?_"

He shrugged. "He went for a year, hated it, and got a job here. You should be happy, Case; he's an _important_ figure in our society! Without guys like Joey and me, people like _you_ would be reeking havoc in stores _all_ across Canada."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Of course…so lucky we are to have guys like _you_…"

"So, are you taking the deal or not?" Derek asked, ignoring her last comment.

She thought for a moment. He was right; she didn't have a job _or_ money. She knew George would be more than happy to buy her mom that camera. Knowing him, he'd even be sweet enough to let her take all of the credit for the gift.

But Casey didn't want that. That was taking the _easy_ way out. She supposed she could just keep searching for jobs, but actually _getting_ one was next to impossible. Nobody seemed to be hiring during Christmas—which made sense, but didn't exactly help her out in the least way.

"Okay," she replied finally. A look of triumph appeared on Derek's face, that is until Casey added quickly, "I have some guidelines, though!"

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Guidelines? Wow…I _never_ would've taken you for a guidelines-type of girl, Case…"

"Shut up, I'm serious. Just because I'm agreeing to follow your stupid proposal, it doesn't mean I'm your _slave_. So don't even _think_ about some stuff…"

"What…stuff?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

She looked down at her shoes, feet shuffling. "You know…none of that…_stuff_-stuff."

He immediately caught her drift, and tried his hardest not to smile. This only resulted in yet another profound smirk. "Aha, and what exactly is _stuff_-stuff? I'm going to need a couple examples here."

Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink once she realized he was messing with her. "Don't make me say it, Derek," she warned.

"Fine, Case. Relax; I won't make you do anything rated _R_…"

"Or PG-13!" she added.

"Aw, come on! Don't be a spoil sport," he replied, feigning disappointment.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Oh, and I _refuse_ to clean your room. I'm willing to risk fatal illness and touch your dirty clothes, but I'm not setting _one_ _foot_ in your lair."

He shrugged, not letting this faze him. "Some things are better left a mess."

Casey laughed incredulously. "Yeah…maybe in _your_ world."

"So…is that it? Is that all?" Derek asked with a hopeful look, praying she wouldn't pull any more stupid 'guidelines' out of her butt.

She thought for a moment. Casey couldn't help being suspicious of Derek's acceptance of her guidelines, but she didn't think it wise to question the situation. So she let out a sigh, and stuck out her hand. "It's a deal."

"Fan_tastic_." Derek was grinning from ear to ear as he took her hand in his, shaking it.

"Derek! Dude!" Joey yelled, running out the automatic doors of Best Buy. "Kyle's _pissed!_" He stopped short, though, when he saw the two. "Uh-_huh_…because this is _exactly_ what I picture when I think of "nothing going on" between you two…"

Derek and Casey gave him an equally confused look. Joey nodded toward their hands, which were still connected from their previous hand shake. Casey looked down, let out a surprised, "Oh!" and both yanked their hands away. Derek shoved his in his pockets and Casey crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"Okay, well...I'm going now. See you later," Casey said, feeling suddenly awkward and confused at the tingles in her right hand. "Nice meeting you, Joey."

Joey smiled. "Please, it was my pleasure."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, man." He directed his attention back to Casey. "See you at home, Case. Hope you're looking forward to this deal _just_ as much as I am..." he finished, smirking.

"Yeah...you _bet_..." she replied, walking away.

_What an _interesting_ week this is going to be..._


	4. Across the Universe

**A/N: I just want to wish a Merry Very Belated Christmas/Happy Holidays to all. I'll continue on with the story, even though Christmas is long over. Who cares? Perhaps it'll prolong the Christmas spirit(?)**

**Disclaimer: I am the proud owner of "Scrubs" seasons 1, 5, and 6. But, alas…Santa forgot our "Life With Derek" deal. (Looks like somebody's losing his touch…)

* * *

**

"Are you _sure_ you can go through with this?" asked a skeptical Lizzie. She was sitting in Casey's room as the proposition was being explained by her dear sister.

"Well…no. I mean, it's Derek. His sole mission in life is to make me miserable, so…" She trailed off, suddenly doubtful she'd make it out of this deal with her sanity still in tact.

"So he's _probably_ going to make you regret this, then?" Lizzie offered.

"Yeah," Casey replied, sighing. "Probably."

The door suddenly swung open, and in came Edwin looking especially chipper. "What's up, ladies?" he asked, sitting himself down on Casey's bed.

The girls both eyed him suspiciously. "State your business," Lizzie demanded.

Edwin raised a hand to his heart. "That _hurts_, Liz. I just haven't seen you rascals in a while, that's all…thought I'd drop in—"

"More like _eaves_drop in," Lizzie corrected. "Who sent you?"

Casey rolled her eyes in realization. "Of course. _Derek_. What does he want now?"

"Don't jump to conclusions… It could've been Marti!" Edwin defended.

Blank stares ensued.

"Fine," he confessed. "Just don't tell him I told you. He wants to know if you're planning on backing out anytime soon."

Casey scoffed. "Please; the thought never crossed my mind."

Both gave her disbelieving looks.

Derek bounded into the room, as if on cue. "Are ya _sure? _'Cause I could've sworn just five minutes ago you were remembering how much of a _hell_ I can put your life through…"

Casey narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he had motive for sending his brother in and then proceeding to invite himself to their little 'party'. "What do you _really_ want?"

"Since you ask," Derek began, rubbing his hands together. "I think we should raise the stakes a bit."

The feeling of dread overcame Casey. "How so…?"

"Well, my buddy Edwin here and I were talking, and he brought up a good point. If you back out, I don't get anything in return."

"That's not true—you don't have to spend all of that money on the camera then," Casey objected.

"Yeah, but—as Ed put it—that's a pretty petty reimbursement. I mean, you and I made a deal. It's pretty simple for you to change your mind and get Nora something else that you can actually afford. Then what am _I_ left with? No…it's too easy."

Casey's head snapped toward her youngest stepbrother. "Edwin…" she growled.

Edwin jumped off the bed. "Hey! I don't _choose_ favorites—"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrows raising. "Oh, _really_?"

"Well, I mean, I—"

Casey put a hand up, motioning for him to stop. She turned her attention back to Derek. "Okay, so in _addition_ to not having to buy that camera, what do you want?"

Judging by the sly smile on Derek's face, Casey knew she'd regret asking that. "You get me a date with that new Physic's friend of yours."

Her face scrunched. "_Jackie_? We're not exactly…'friends'."

"You always talk to her in class."

"Because she's my lab partner and has _no_ clue what she's doing…"

Derek shook his head. "Makes no difference. You'll get me a date with her."

Casey sighed, but straightened up again. "Fine, but I'm warning you: I _won't_ back out."

"We'll see," he replied, smirking. He looked around the room, now noticing Edwin and Lizzie had suddenly disappeared. "Oh, and you have a gift card for Blockbuster, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Casey replied, sighing again. "It's a $15 one."

"Great. Let's go get a movie," he stated, then left the room without another word.

"_Great_," she mocked, following him out.

----

Two hours and an "Across the Universe" rental later, Derek and Casey had planted themselves in front of the TV. The arrangement actually didn't seem as bad as Casey thought it'd be. So far, she only had to take over his shift of washing the dishes and cleaning up his favorite chair's cushion. Oh, and renting that movie; but even then she got to watch it _with_ him. Of course, she _did_ realize that this was merely the beginning stage of their deal. She could only assume it'd get worse as Derek's mind plotted and schemed.

The movie was just starting when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Derek," George called from the kitchen. "Could you get the door?"

"Sure thing, Dad," he replied, mouth full of chips. His eyes never left the TV screen.

The opening song had started, and Derek wasn't moving a muscle. Casey looked over at her stepbrother. "Um…Derek? In order to 'get the door', one must literally get _off_ the couch and _open_ the door…"

"I know," he replied, still watching the screen.

Casey just stared at him, waiting to see what would happen next. He didn't budge.

"And you're planning on doing this…when?" she asked.

"I'm not. _You_ are," he stated simply, popping a chip into his mouth.

Casey rolled her eyes but got up anyways. She should've known.

As she pulled open the door, she was surprised to see an anxious looking Noel standing there. He jumped at the sight of her. "Casey! Hi!"

"Hey, Noel," she replied, smiling. "What's going on?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go catch a movie…or something…" he offered. "We haven't really talked in a—"

"Sorry, bud. Casey's a little busy at the moment," Derek cut in, suddenly popping up from behind her.

She spun around, giving him a death glare. "_Excuse_ me? Since when do _you_ decide when Casey's busy?"

"Since the fate of her mother's camera rests in my hands…" he replied, staring her down.

Apparently a strict No Fun for Casey rule had just been enforced. As much as she hated admitting it, he was right. She looked at Noel standing there, looking all cute; she turned to Derek, who was awaiting her reply. She sighed, turning back to Noel. "I'm sorry, Noel; the _jerk_ and I are already watching a movie… How about some other time?"

"Um, sure," Noel answered, looking defeated and confused. "Some…other time."

"Buh-bye," Derek called out to him, waving as he walked away. He shut the front door and headed back to his chair. Before he had a chance to sit down, though, Casey gave him a hard shove, sending him stumbling.

"What was _that?!_" she snapped, clearly furious. "'Casey's busy at the moment'? We were just watching a stupid movie!"

Derek brushed off the spot on his arm where she shoved him. "Noel's creepy, Case; I did you a favor."

She scoffed. "Oh, right; because asking me to hang out it is _so_ threatening." Derek rolled his eyes as she grabbed his arm. "My hero! How can I _ever_ repay you?"

"Yeah, laugh it up," he replied, jerking his arm from her grip. "But think about this: why didn't he just _call_? And isn't this the same guy who left you flowers after the musical, even though you had a _boyfriend_?"

"Okay, first of all, you don't know for _sure_ if the flowers were from him. Secondly, neither of those things sound life-threatening," she stated, waving her hands in the air for emphasis. "And since when are _you_ concerned with my well-being?"

"I'm not," he replied, shrugging. "It's just that you're the only one in the house who isn't doing anything—thus you can keep me company."

"It's a movie, Derek. We won't even be _talking_!" she argued. But it was no use. Casey let out a frustrated groan and angrily slumped herself down on the couch. "Just because I'm watching this stupid movie with you, it doesn't mean I'll have _fun_," she grumbled under her breath, arms crossed over her chest.

Derek laughed incredulously. "Right, and _I'm_ the immature one."

She rolled her eyes, returning her attention back to the movie.

---

The movie had gotten to a sappy part when Derek decided to entertain himself by putting more orders into effect.

"Hey, Casey, make me some hot chocolate," he commanded from his throne.

"Hey, Derek, make it yourself." She refused to let her sight drift from the TV. Romantic scenes were Casey's thing, and there was _no_ way Derek could make her miss this one.

Derek's eyebrows scrunched together as he put a hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the voices shouting, "Camera! Camera!""

She just stared at him. "_That's_ the best you've got? You're losing your touch."

Derek let out a deep sigh, sounding as though he was becoming exasperated by their pointless arguments. He decided to lay down the law for her. "You agreed to this deal, Casey. Either you do what I say or no camera…oh, and you play matchmaker. That's just how it goes," he finished, shrugging.

She knew it'd be a stupid idea to back out over something so trivial as making a cup of hot chocolate. So instead of sticking to her stubbornness, she narrowed her eyes at him, grumbling, "I _hate_ you…"

"Yes, fantastic. Now do you think you could take that feistiness over to the _kitchen?_ 'Cause you sitting there isn't making the process go any faster."

Another eye roll and a push off the couch, Casey found her way to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Derek smirked to himself over the success of the situation. He was pretty surprised that Casey had even gone for the deal in the first place, but hey—he couldn't complain. It wasn't really his objective to get her to snap or anything…he just liked testing his limits. And so far? Things seemed to be going _really_ well.

As Casey returned with his hot chocolate, she thrust the cup into his hands, sending some spilling into his lap. She tried not to laugh as he jumped, giving her a frown. He brought the cup to his lips, but stared down at it in disappointment.

She rolled her eyes. "What _now_?"

He shrugged innocently. "Oh, nothing…I just thought…_maybe_ there'd be marshmallow's included…but, you know—"

"Give me that," she sighed, taking it and going back into the kitchen.

He smiled upon her return, mini-marshmallow's filled to the brim of the cup. "Thank you…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" She then returned her attention back to the movie. She realized, with much distress, that the love scene between Lucy and Jude was now over.

Casey glanced over at Derek, who looked like he was just about to take a sip. As the cup reached his lips, however, he pulled it away again. He noticed her staring at him, so he explained, "Too hot…"

"Ah," she replied nodding, turning back to the screen. She looked back at him after a moment, realizing he hadn't looked away from her. "Can I help you?"

He held the cup out to her. "Could you—"

"_No_ way," she cut in, realizing what he wanted her to do. "There's a fine line between servant and _mommy_, Derek. Cool it off yourself; you're a big boy."

"Damn right, I am," he replied, smirking.

Casey smacked her forehead; she'd set herself up for _that_ one. Derek just laughed, and eventually the two finished watching the movie.

"Well that was…interesting," Derek stated as the credits began rolling.

He looked over at Casey, noticing her slumped into the couch, sleeping soundly. He checked his watch and noted it was only 9:30. He rolled his eyes, knowing if he woke her up she'd be pissed. And he couldn't _carry_ her up the stairs…that'd be too "knight-in-shining-armor". So, instead, he settled for retrieving a blanket. As he lay it over her, Derek looked down watched for a moment. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips.

He shook his head, realizing how sappy that moment betweent the two had just been. _Thank God she has no idea…_Derek thought to himself. He yanked the blanket back off of her and threw it on the floor. After turning off the movie, he headed upstairs, leaving her to sleep on the couch.

As soon as the footsteps disappeared, Casey sighed to herself. "Figures…" she muttered, picking the blanket up off the floor. She didn't have the energy to go all the way up to her room, so she let herself fall back into Dreamland.


	5. Al Hopper's Tree Emporium

**A/N: Sooo it's been a while, eh? Just a smidge. I'm so sorry about the delay! I've made up an innumerable amount of excuses for why I didn't update sooner...but they're all full of crap. So here's the 5th chapter! Finally!**

**Special thanks to ilovejonas22... :)**

* * *

"_Casey…Ca_sey_…_" 

Casey awoke the next morning to a soft voice in her ear. She would've passed it off as figment of her dream or something, but the voice persisted.

"_Casey_," it called to her.

"Whadduyawant?" she mumbled, still half-asleep, not willing to open her eyes.

The booming sound of a foghorn filled the air, sending a startled Casey sky-rocketing off of her bed. She landed on the hard floor with an "oof!" and wildly looked around. Apparently she _wasn't_ in her room, based on the family TV being centimeters away from her sprawled out body.

A little girl's laughter joined in with a deep male's, and Casey looked up at the people standing behind the couch. There stood Marti, giggling like crazy, and her eldest step-brother, appearing _quite_ satisfied.

Casey narrowed her eyes at Derek as he high-fived his little sister. "Are you crazy?" she snapped. "I could've gotten hurt!"

Derek ignored Casey's comment and turned to his little sister. "Nice job, Marti. Here's your nickel."

"_Nickel?!_" her little voice screeched. "You promised me five _dollars_, not _cents_."

"Remembering your change? That's my Smarti," he told her, patting her head.

"Nice try. I still want my money," Marti argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What is going _on_ here?" Nora asked, coming down the stairs. "Casey, why are you on the floor? And…are those the clothes you wore yesterday?"

Casey was more than happy to rat out the devil-children, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she noticed Derek. His back was to Nora, so she couldn't see her step-son making gestures with his hands that appeared quite similar to a camera's. Casey let out a growl and pushed herself up off the floor. "I'm fine, Mom," she grumbled.

Derek followed close behind, a smirk highlighting his face. "And to imagine, I almost let you sleep in," he whispered in her ear. "That would've been a _huge_ mistake on my part, don'tcha think?"

After a few minutes, the front door shut and into the kitchen walked George. "Hey, guys. Can you believe Christmas is only _five_ days away?" His brow furrowed as he thought. "We've got a lot to do. Derek, I'm going to need you to pick up a tree at Hopper's."

"Aren't you coming?" Derek asked, eyeing his father.

George sighed. "'Fraid not. Nora and I have to clean up the house," he replied with a cringe. "You can handle it on your own, can't you?"

Derek, who was mid bite into his spoonful of cereal, set his silverware down with a clank. "What?" he asked, several cheerios flying out of his mouth. Casey grimaced. "But Dad—"

"Derek, I'm counting on you. Can't you do this _one_ thing…?"

He sighed. "_Fine_…"

_Perfect payback,_ Casey smirked to herself.

"What's that look about, Spacey?" Derek asked, slightly amused. "You're coming with me."

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"Oh, really? Because ya are…"

Casey rolled her eyes. "Will someone please tell Derek that I have more _important_ things to do than assist with in tree-picking?"

"Aw, come on, Casey," Nora said, putting her hands on Casey's shoulders. "That's a great idea! It'll give you two a chance to feel the holiday spirit." She then leaned towards George, adding under her breath, "It'll also give _us_ a chance for some peace and quiet…"

"I hear _that_," George complied, taking a bite of his toast.

"So what do you say, Case?" Nora asked her eldest daughter.

Casey looked up at her mom, trying to find the nicest way to say "Hell _no!_" Who knows what kind of trouble Derek could get her in? She really didn't want to take that chance…

But as she saw the exasperated expression on her mother's face, a feeling of guilt conquered her. She began to realize how much havoc and chaos she and Derek constantly reek on the household. These people _deserved_ a break from all of the yelling.

_And_ there was the fact that Derek wouldn't let her get out of it if she tried. Right then he was "reading" an ad selling used cameras. He held it up for her to clearly see. So there was really no other option...

"Alright," she sighed. "I'm in."

A smile lit Nora's face. "That's my girl. Besides, it'll be fun!"

If only she knew…

--

As they pulled into a parking spot, a big, toothy-grinned man was standing outside, waiting to greet them.

"Derek Venturi! Long time no see, boy. What's it been, a year already?" the very plump man bellowed.

Derek laughed. "I'd say about that. Last Christmas, right, Al?"

The man pretended to think. "Yep, sounds right—give a day or two. So how's life been treatin' ya?"

Derek shrugged. "Ehh, I got ladies and hockey. Can't complain, I guess," he replied nonchalantly.

Casey rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"And who's this stand-in for your father I see here?" Al asked, suddenly noticing Casey. He gave her a smile—not sleazy like one of Eddie's; a real, friendly smile. She liked him right away.

"I'm Casey," she replied, holding out her hand.

Al shook it, and gave Derek a look. "And what makes _you_ so special to be with a beauty like this?" He turned back to Casey. "I just don't know how he does it."

Just as Casey was about to inform the old man of their real situation, a sudden idea struck her. She sidled up next to Derek, linking her arm in his. She looked up at him adoringly. "It must be his charm."

Derek's head snapped towards Casey's so fast he was positive he heard something snap. "Uh…_excuse_ me?" he asked, slightly confused.

She bumped him playfully. "Fine, there's you're incredible good looks, too. Happy?"

He wasn't sure what world he'd inadvertently slipped into, but Derek was _beyond_ baffled. "Are you…alright?" he asked.

"To the trees!" Casey said suddenly, smiling broadly.

Al laughed. "I like her, Venturi—don't screw it up." They headed inside and he grabbed a clip board off his desk. "Wait here, kids, I'll be back in a sec."

"Sounds good!" Casey called after him.

Derek finally yanked his arm from her grasp. "Are you out of your _mind?!_ Seriously—is it the cold? Does your brain have_ frost-bite?_"

"What?" Casey asked innocently.

"He thinks we're _dating!_" Derek hissed.

Casey shrugged. "So? He wouldn't be the first."

Derek's eyes bugged out of his head. "Wouldn't be the—you're doing this on _purpose!?_ But…why? I mean, I know all women can't resist The Venturi, but—"

"You wish," she cut in hastily. "Just think of this as my payback for this morning."

"You're pretending to be my girlfriend as _payback?_" he asked incredulously.

"Sure am, shnookums," she replied, pinching his cheeks.

He yanked his face from her grip just as Al was making his way back towards them. Casey linked arms with Derek again and he groaned.

"Alright, we've got an excellent selection this season, if I do say so myself. I recommend the spruces in the front; the greener the better. Follow me!" he told them, leading the way.

Casey dragged Derek with her, his arm still clamped to her side. The three went through a doorway at the end of the warehouse, only to find it snowing outside.

"Well, would you look at that. Perfect weather, eh?" Al stated. He gave Derek a nudge, who, in turn, forced a smile. The old man clamped his hands together. "Well, kiddos, I have other customers to tend to besides you lovebirds. Holler if you need anything. And have fun!"

And with that, he was gone.

Casey unlinked her arm from Derek's and started walking ahead.

"Where are you going?" he called after her.

"Tree picking—_duh_."

"Oh, so _now_ you're all excited to get a tree…" he said, walking at the same stride. "What was it that changed your mind? My _charm?_"

Casey rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored his sarcastic remark and made her way around the fresh spruces. As the soft snowflakes gently planted themselves onto the needles of the trees, Casey felt her annoyed mood begin to dissipate. Christmastime seemed to make the bothersome things in life seem trivial—even when it came to Derek, she suddenly realized.

"How 'bout this one?" he asked.

Casey snapped herself out of her daydream-like state and walked over to the tree he was standing in front of. "Um…Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"This tree's at least 10 feet tall."

"And…?"

"Our ceiling's _8.5_…"

Derek shrugged. "So we'll chop the top off."

"We are not getting this tree, Derek," Casey informed him.

"And what makes you think I suddenly follow your orders?" He _tsk-tsk_ed her behavior and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Looks like we're going to have to change that, _shnookums_," he breathed in her ear.

Casey felt her face flush and elbowed him in the side as she noticed a curious look from an elderly woman a few trees away. "_Cute_, Derek. Seriously—can't we get something smaller?"

"Fine," Derek replied, rolling his eyes. He let go of her and took two steps to the tree on their right. "This one's good."

"And four feet tall! We might as well hang ornaments on _Marti_."

"Sweet idea. Let's go tell George and Nora," he replied, about to turn around.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here? Hot date?" she inquired.

"With the TV, now that you mention it. So let's get a tree and get outta here or I'm going to miss the Oilers game."

As he once again turned on his heel to go down another aisle of trees, Casey grabbed his arm. "Wait a second, _Derek_. You dragged me here with your blackmail—"

"Not _my_ fault you shook on the deal."

"Whatever; you still made me come. Now you're just going to grab the first tree you see and leave? I don't think so."

Derek pried her hand off of his bicep. "Okay, first of all—you wouldn't _let_ me get the first tree I saw. And second of all, dear Casey, you're forgetting that I'm the one with the camera. Your mom's camera, remember? So unless you'd prefer to give her _coal_ for Christmas, we are going to pick a tree…and leave."

And with that, he turned around and went up the next aisle of spruces.

Casey glared after him, not wanting to move a muscle. She quickly realized, however, that this wouldn't be of much help to her. Derek was the one with the camera _and_ the car keys. So she sucked up her returning bad mood and followed him up the aisle.

--

"Are you sure this is the right one, Venturi? Isn't it kinda…_tall?_" Al asked hesitantly.

Derek beamed. "Positive. They always say trust your instincts…and this is the one."

Casey had to smile. _Derek can be cute when he isn't being such an _ass_…_Her eyes suddenly widened as she replayed that thought in her head. _What the...?!_

Al noticed Casey's sudden expression and turned to Derek. "Is that how it was with this one?" he asked with a smile.

"_Oh_ yeah. My step-mom probably won't like it…but my dad'll be proud," he added with a laugh.

Al gave him a curious look. "Isn't it kinda _rude_ to call your girlfriend an "it"?" he asked, chuckling.

Derek choked on his spit. "Oh! You meant…oh. Yeah, instincts…got us, you know, together…knew she was the, uh, one"

An awkward haze sifted through the air as Casey felt a strong urge to hit him over the head with that tree. Al's continued wrong impression of them was her fault, however, and it was much to late to correct the lie…so she just decided to go along with it.

Al gave a hearty laugh and tied the last cable around the tree to the car. "Well, it's always nice to have somebody for the holidays," he said. "Especially with the chemistry you two have got…"

"_What?!_" Casey and Derek snapped at the same time.

"What, you mean to tell me you've never heard that before? That's hard to believe," he stated, shaking his head. "I've seen a lot of young couples come in and out of here, but never have I seen _any_ of them come alive like you two do in each other's presence. Don't lose that, ya hear?"

The teens just stood there, staring at him blankly. As Al finished securing the tree, Derek cleared his throat.

"My dad wants you to, um, bill him. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sure. Tell him I say hi! Merry Christmas, you two…" Al replied with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"You too, Al."

"Nice meeting you!" Casey called out to him as she hopped into the car.

Derek started the car and cranked the heat.

Casey cleared her throat, glancing at the clock. "So, um, looks like you won't be missing the Oilers' game."

"Oh…yeah. That's good."

And not another word was spoken for the rest of the trip.


	6. Mall Dilemma

**A/N: Haitus...broken?**

* * *

"Casey, one of the reasons I wanted you to go with Derek was so that _this_ wouldn't happen. So…_how_ did this happen?" George asked, staring up in defeat at the ginormous tree.

"Um…well, see, there's a perfectly explainable explanation…" Casey started, scratching her head.

The family was standing in the living room, awaiting her answer.

"Derek picked it!" she cried, pointing in his direction.

Derek rolled his eyes, but hadn't expefcted much less of Casey. He decided to play the oh-so familiar guilt card on the 'rents. "What's wrong? You don't like it?" he asked, feigning disappointment.

"Oh, it's not that we don't _like_ it," Nora started, choosing her words carefully. "It's just…_tall_, that's all." She looked up at the towering spruce and gave a long sigh. "Really, really tall."

George eyeballed his son. "You know, Derek, you _were_ out of Hopper's in record time…any particular reason?"

"What? No. My instincts told me _this_ tree was the one. Even ask Al!" he insisted. As Derek thought back on that particular conversation with the old man, he came to a new conclusion. "Actually, never mind. Al's mind's slipping…he wouldn't remember," he added hastily.

The family stared at him strangely and Casey was careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

Lizzie finally cut through the silence. "Oh, who _cares_ if the tree's huge? It's Christmas, people; aren't there more _important_ things than the stupid tree?" she asked.

George sighed. "Liz is right—as usual. The tree's fine, Derek. It's my fault for not going with you."

"_Thank_ you," Derek huffed, taking a seat on the couch and turning on the TV. As he flipped the station to the Oiler's game, George crossed his arms and stood in front of the screen. "Can't see the game, pops," he said, straining to see around the obstruction of view that stood before him.

"You must think _my_ mind's slipping, Derek, if you think I'd really let you just sit around while the rest of your family does all of the work."

"_Your_ family," Derek corrected. "And how much work seriously needs to be done? It's just Christmas."

"Oh, yeah? What happened to Derekus?" Casey asked, feigning intrigue.

Derek sent a glare her way. "Besides, Dad, Casey _graciously_ decided to take care of all my household duties. Ain't that right, Case?"

George didn't say anything. He looked suspiciously at his eldest step-daughter before heading toward the kitchen. "Little help, Nora?" he called over his shoulder.

"Well, the greatest thing about this family is that we _share_, right, kids?" Nora piped up, turning off the TV.

A chorus of grumbles replied.

"So, Edwin, Lizzie—why don't you bring out the ornaments and lights for the tree. George will get the bulbs on the roof finished. I'll take care of the Christmas cards. And Derek, Casey? Could I get you guys to shovel outside? I _really_ don't want our mailman to trip again…"

Edwin laughed. "Oh, Gerry…"

"What do you say?" Nora asked.

Derek looked around the room. "What do you _want_ us to say? We're not the Brady Bunch, Nora. Group hugs are lame."

Casey rolled her eyes and kicked Derek's shin. "Sounds good, Mom."

Just then her cell phone went off. Casey squinted at the text message she'd just received, and then looked back up at Nora.

"Actually, Mom, there's a bit of a mall-emergency…with Emily. Something about a gift for Mrs. Davis. Can I shovel when I get back?"

"Sure, hon."

Casey walked herself to the coat-rack, only to notice Derek following her.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked him, crossing her arms.

Derek grabbed his jacket. "With you, princess—where else?"

"Derek, look, why don't you get started on the shoveling thing. I'll help when I get back."

Derek laughed and headed toward the door. "Yeah, don't think so. I own you, remember?"

"_Mom!_ Tell Derek to stay home and start the stupid shoveling…" Casey groaned, turning around only to notice her mother had disappeared.

"What are you, _five?_ You won't even know I'm there. Besides, I wouldn't be calling 'Mom' when you know full well she's the reason you're mine."

Casey couldn't help but get flustered at the last two words of that sentence. "Whatever. Just don't make a scene when you get there."

"Why would I make a scene?"

-

"Casey, over here!"

Casey looked down at her feet in shame as she made her way over to the food court.

"Now isn't _that_ funny," Derek mused sarcastically. "Emily sure looks a hell of a lot like _Sam_."

Okay, so the text hadn't been from Emily. Sam had called Casey a couple days earlier, asking for her help with a certain situation. The text today had told her to meet him at the mall in 10 minutes.

_Without_ Derek.

Casey could see Sam's face visibly falter as he saw Derek had tagged along. Derek, of course, seemed curious and a little annoyed.

As they got to Sam's table, they were met with silence.

"So, Sammy. Dating my step-sister _again_, are we?" Derek asked finally, crossing his arms.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Relax, Derek. This has nothing to do with me."

"Oh, I don't know—the secret text…the secret rendezvous _without_ inviting the best friend? Sounds a little like dating."

Sam shook his head, sighing. "And you brought him, _why?_"

"He just kinda…came," Casey told him. "Look, it'll be fine—like a third opinion! Derek's dated a _lot_ of girls." She grimaced. "And then dumped them brutally…"

"Whoa, whoa," Derek started, putting up his hands. "What's going on, here?"

Sam sighed. "I needed Casey's help shopping. For a girl—'cause _she's_ a girl. And I figured you wouldn't be that much of a help?"

"Oh, come on…I'm a pro when it comes to the ladies."

Both Sam and Casey restrained their laughter.

"Right, Derek," Sam said. "And _what_ exactly did you get Kendra that Valentine's Day you were dating?"

Derek squinted his eyes, thinking. "I…can't remember, actually."

"That's the point, Derek—because you _dumped_ her instead," Casey told him, rolling her eyes again.

"Casey thought it'd be a good idea if I didn't take advice from you. No offense, man."

Derek glared at Casey, but didn't say anything more about the matter. "Fine, fine. I'll just sit back and watch the _master_ at work."

"Alright. Follow me," Casey announced as she led the way.

-

After what felt like two-dozen stores and nearly 90 necklace/bracelet combos, the boys were—needless to say—exhausted. Both Derek and Sam collapsed onto a bench outside of Macy's.

"Um, you go on ahead, Case," Derek told her. "We'll be right there."

Casey rolled her eyes, but headed on inside anyways. "_Amateurs_…"

"Dude, your step-sister's _crazy_."

"Yeah, well, _you_ dated her. Speaking of which, who's this new señorita you're all crazy about?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "She's, uh…nobody. Just some girl I met at some place."

"That's…interesting. You know her name?"

"It doesn't matter," Sam replied, shaking his head.

Derek crossed his arms defensively. "_Why_ am I getting the feeling that there's more to the whole not-inviting-me thing than you're saying…?"

"Seriously, D—doesn't matter."

"Of _course_ it does, Sammy." Derek gave him a hard pat on the back. "So…?"

"Svlkajly," he muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, I don't think _cavemen_ would've understood that one. Come again?"

"It's…" Sam looked down at the ground and sighed. "…Sally."

A long pause followed—one that was _unbearably_ uncomfortable.

"Sally?" Derek finally asked.

Sam winced. "Yeah…"

"Sally as in Sally Isis from our math class?" Derek started. "Or Sally as in my _ex-girlfriend_ Sally?"

"Listen, Derek, I know this looks bad and is probably _way_ worse than dating your step-sister, but…you guys broke up almost a year ago. And Sally and I got around to talking and stuff, and…"

"_And?_" Derek bit back.

"And, I don't know. We have a lot in common."

"Well, gee, that makes sense—she did date your _best_ _friend_."

With that, he stood up and began walking into Macy's.

"Derek, come on—I'm sorry!" Sam called after him.

Derek charged in and out of the individual sections of the store, trying to find Casey so they could leave.

"I'm sorry, sir, can I help you?" a woman who worked there asked, stepping in front of him.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a girl my age—long hair, blue eyes, whiny, nose in the air?"

The woman laughed, shocked. "That is _no_ way to talk to your girlfriend—_especially_ when your competition's been chatting her ears off."

"My…_what?_" Derek began, looking in the direction the lady was pointing.

Sure enough, it was Casey standing by an assortment of necklaces and hair do-dads. Next to her, however, was a burly guy who Derek didn't quite recognize. Casey, judging by her consistent laughter, quite obviously thought him to be the funniest guy she'd met.

Derek rolled his eyes. "_Perfect…_"

As he made his way up to the two, Casey's laughter died down, but she still had a smile on her face.

"Derek, this is Connor Evans," she mentioned, not even glancing Derek's way.

Connor stuck his hand out. "Nice to meet you. Casey's brother, right?"

"_Step_-brother," Derek snapped, not bothering to take his hand.

Now Casey did look at him. "What's wrong with _you?_" she asked as she looked at him carefully.

"Nothing. We gotta go."

"Oh," Casey replied, visibly disappointed. "What about Sam?"

The dashing Connor interjected before Derek had a chance to respond. "It's okay, I have to go anyways. It was nice meeting you, Casey. My mom will love this," he told her, holding up a necklace.

Casey laughed, and Derek was appalled to see a hint of blush hit her cheeks. "What can I say? It's my specialty."

"Well, _thank_ you," Connor smiled. He paused, and then reached in his pocket, pulling out a pen. "Do you have paper?"

Derek's jaw went slack. He'd seen this move a thousand times. No, he'd _used_ this move a thousand times.

"Yeah, here," Casey replied, handing him an old receipt.

Yep. Seven numbers—just as Derek suspected.

"Call me sometime and we'll hang out, or something," Connor told her, smiling even more broadly.

Casey beamed. "Yeah, or something…"

"Nice to meet you, Derek," Connor added before exiting the store.

Casey just stood there, smiling at the empty space that used to be Connor. Derek was nearly fuming pissed at this point. He grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward the parking lot.

"Hey, slow _down!_"

Derek ignored her until they were outside. He then let her go and continued on to the car.

"Give me the keys," he snapped, holding out his hand once they reached the Prince.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Casey asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"_Keys_, Casey."

"How could you be so rude to Connor? And where's Sam?" She looked around, but didn't spot him anywhere.

"Sam's busy being a jackass," Derek bit. "_Keys_."

"But—"

"KEYS."

"Fine," Casey snapped, chucking them at him. "But the only jackass I see here is _you_."

"Ha-ha."

Aaaaand cue _another_ dead-silent car ride for the McDonald-Venturi's.

* * *

**A/N: New chapter will be up sometime tomorrow - just have to add finishing touches. If this one seemed bland or random, I apologize sincerely. I also apologize for waiting so damn long to update. It's been a whole year since I started this story!**

**Lame.**

**Anyhoo - hopefully you'll enjoy the next chapter, for there will be Dasey galore ;). So keep reading!**


	7. My Massage

**A/N: So, um, it was kinda hard to type this chapter without giggling.**

**Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

By the time the Casey and Derek returned home, it was about 6:00 at night. The two still weren't talking to each other, so that increased the tension in the household.

Derek flung himself down on the couch and turned on the TV, while Casey tore off her jacket and stomped into the kitchen.

Nora and Lizzie stopped what they were doing and carefully eyed both teenagers.

"Do you think something's wrong?" Nora whispered to her youngest daughter.

"Uh, yeah, Mom—I think that's a safe bet," Lizzie replied, watching her sister devour a bowl of ice cream.

Just then, George walked—better yet, _limped_—in from the outside, looking just a _tad_ upset. "Derek! I thought you were supposed to _shovel!_"

"Get your step-daughter to do it," he grumbled, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Hey, what'd _I_ do?" Lizzie asked, defenseless.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Not you, yuppie. Your _sister_."

George sighed, narrowing his eyes at his son. "Well, that's _awfully_ nice of you, not caring that your old man just tripped over the snow-covered sidewalk…"

"Oh, George!" Nora called, rushing to help him sit down. After that, she marched over to Derek, turning off the TV, and then over to Casey, grabbing the ice cream from her grasp.

"_Go_."

Both teenagers rolled their eyes, but grabbed their jackets anyways and did what they were told. Casey slammed the door in Derek's face before he could step outside, causing him to grind his teeth in frustration.

Edwin then sauntered down the stairs, munching on a candy cane.

"What'd I miss?" he asked nonchalantly.

"You're _next_, Edwin," Derek growled, slamming the door behind him.

Edwin sighed and stomped back up the stairs. "_Why_ couldn't he have been a girl?"

--

Derek grabbed a shovel as Casey began scooping up the snow and angrily tossing it over her shoulder.

"You missed a spot," he mocked.

Casey spun around, glaring at him. "That's funny, Derek. And _when_ do I get to kill you?"

"Hey, you're _lucky_ I'm not making you do this on your own," Derek told her, holding up his hands. "Remember—"

"I _get_ it, thanks!" Casey spun back around and continued shoveling. She began mumbling under her breath as she shoveled angrily. "Wouldn't shake _hand_…ditched best friend…practically _dragged_ me outta the store…"

Derek stopped what he was doing. "Care to say any of that to my _face_, princess?"

"Nope."

"Then stop acting like a lunatic."

"…telling me what to _do_…"

He heaved an annoyed sigh. "Why are you even upset? I think _I'm_ the one who has the right to be," Derek told her defiantly.

"And you won't even tell me _why!_" Casey cried. Her face scrunched up and her voice deepened. "Derek no like feeling-talk. Derek immature, _incompetent_ human being."

"I do _not_ sound like that…"

"And what's more? You interrupted my conversation with a _really_ nice guy," Casey huffed, crossing her arms.

Derek scoffed. "Right, 'cause you knew him _so_ well…"

"It was still rude." She paused, pretending to think. "Of course, I shouldn't expect much more from _you_, now, should I?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Ouch. I just might start bleeding."

Casey became increasingly agitated. "You're _seriously_ not even going to tell me what happened?"

"Nope."

"But maybe I can help—"

"Don't _need_ your help."

"Fine. You can burn in—_AHHHH!_"

Casey took a wrong step and slipped backwards, landing on her back in a giant pile of snow. Derek, of course, began laughing uncontrollably at her, falling to his knees. Casey could feel her cheeks burning up in humiliation, but decided to retaliate.

"Oh, so that's _funny?_" she snapped, grabbing a fistful of snow in her mitten-clad hand.

"Yeah," Derek laughed. "You should've seen your face when you—_OOF_."

Casey gleamed as her snowball hit Derek square in the mouth. His jaw dropped and he spat out the chunks of snow, narrowing his eyes at her.

"That was a mistake," he growled.

"No, your _birth_ was a mistake," Casey snapped back, smirking proudly.

As soon as Derek started heading toward her, Casey jumped up—or _tried_. The snow was so deep, she just ended up tripping again and onto her belly. Derek decided it was a good idea to take full advantage of this situation, so he sat on her backside and picked up a handful of snow.

"Der_ek!_ Don't!" Casey choked out, trying to squirm away.

"Oh, I don't know, Case…" he started, taking a bite out of his snowpie. "This _does_ seem like a perfect opportunity."

Casey tried not to laugh. "Get _off!_"

"Nope."

Just as he was about to give her a nice whitewashing, Casey leaned back and elbowed Derek in the ribs. He groaned and fell over as she got out from under him.

She stood up in triumph, smiling from ear to ear. "HA! Who's the princess _now_, sucker?"

Derek narrowed his eyes at her again. "Did you just call _me_ 'princess'?"

"I believe I did," Casey told him defiantly, crossing her arms.

He smirked and gave a quick tug on her leg, sending her crashing down on her back once more. Casey sighed, giving up—there was no way she could win this round.

Derek scooted next to her and leaned over. "_Sucker_."

With that, he slowly sprinkled snow onto her face until Casey shoved his hand away.

She glared at him, brushing it out of her eyes and mouth. "_Thanks_, Derek."

"That's my job."

The two suddenly found themselves in a strange situation. Casey was lying on the ground and Derek was lying right next to her, hovering above. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but…it was.

Derek's gaze couldn't help but dip to her mouth, causing Casey's cheeks to turn pink. She felt her eyes widen at the way he was looking at her. The cheesy kissing scene from that "From Here to Eternity" movie suddenly flashed through her mind. Derek just furrowed his brows and rolled over, lying on his back beside her.

For a short moment, they were silent.

Derek sighed. "Sam's dating Sally."

Casey snapped her head in his direction. "_What?!_"

He just nodded.

"But he—I mean, I just thought…Wow," Casey sighed, biting her lip. "I _swear_ I didn't know, Derek… I'm really sorry." She looked at him carefully. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because of _that_," he told her, rolling his eyes once more. "You really think I need sympathy? Besides, you always feel like you have to fix everyone else's problems. _No_ thank you."

"I do _not_," Casey huffed, looking back at the sky. After a moment of him staring at her expectantly, she rolled her eyes. "Fine. _Maybe_ I do…"

"And," Derek added, "since when do we _tell_ each other stuff?"

"Since…never?"

"Exactly."

Casey thought for a minute and shook her head. "You'd think after all these years we'd be able to tell each other important things, at least…"

"Like a best friend going out with an ex?"

Casey grimaced. "Yeah…like that." She couldn't even imagine what it'd be like if Emily went out with Max. Looking over at him again, Casey added softly, "Speaking of which, how does that make you feel?"

"_Casey_…" Derek warned, sitting up.

"What! I'm just…wondering how you're handling it."

"This is _not_ an episode of Dr. Phil, okay?" he groaned. "And may I repeat? We _do_ _not_ tell each other things. We got a system going, Space Case—don't blow it."

Casey just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah…typical Derek—always running away from his _feelings_."

Derek gave her a funny look at first, but then just picked up some more snow.

"Nope," he replied, smirking as he tossed another snowball at her. "I think me and my feelings are _just_ fine."

Casey rolled her eyes, but grabbed a ball of snow and chased after him.

--

An hour or so later, Derek threw himself down on the living room couch, moaning.

"That…was torture."

Casey sat down in the chair next to him. "You're such a wimp," she told him, rolling her eyes. "It was just _shoveling_…"

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, well, tell that to my _back_."

Casey ignored him as she reached for the remote.

"Oilers," Derek muttered, eyes closed.

Casey groaned. "_Hockey?_"

"Yes. It'll soothe the pain."

"_Massages_ soothe the pain, Derek—not hockey."

Derek's eyes shot open. "_Excellent_ idea, Case."

Casey looked over at him suspiciously. "What…?"

He said nothing, but sat up and reached for the hem of his shirt.

"Ew! What are you _doing?_" Casey cried, looking away quickly as Derek began pulling the shirt over his head.

Derek nonchalantly threw it on the floor. "Wanna play some strip poker?"

"_What?!_"

"Massage, Case. _Massage_," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Casey stood up suddenly, careful not to look at him. "Right—I'll go get Edwin."

"_Definitely_ not who I had in mind…" Derek replied, shuddering.

Casey's eyes widened. "I am _not_ giving you a massage, Derek!"

He smirked. "I don't really think you have a _choice_."

Casey took a peek at him. From the look he was giving her, she was sure she couldn't find a way to back out of it. "Fine," she sighed. "But put your shirt back on."

"No, thanks - I'm good."

With another sigh, Casey got off the chair and headed toward him, getting ready to sit on the couch. Derek, however, laid back down and spread out.

Casey crossed her arms. "How am I supposed to…_massage_ you when you're lying like that?"

"I don't know," Derek relied, eyes closed yet again. "Sit on me, I guess?"

Enough was enough. "Let me get this straight—you want me to give you a back massage while your shirt's off and I'm sitting on _top_ of you?" Casey just blinked at him. "That doesn't seem weird…at _all?_"

"If you're too worried about resisting certain…_urges_," Derek smirked, "I'll completely understand."

Casey's jaw dropped. "How 'bout the urge to _puke!_"

Derek sigh irritably. "It's only as weird as you make it, Space Case. Now could you hurry up? My back's _killing_ me."

"I can only hope," Casey muttered, straddling him. "Oh, and please—_no_ weird noises…"

Derek smirked. "I can't promise anything."

She dug her fingertips into his back, causing Derek to writhe in pain.

"OW!"

"Oh, _sorry_," Casey replied innocently.

"I'm not a piece of _dough_, Case—could you treat me like a human?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Ha-ha."

Casey poked at prodded at Derek's back, trying to make it as uncomfortable for him as it was for her. Unfortunately, he wouldn't give in.

"You'd never guess you're…a _girl_," Derek choked out through Casey's grip of death.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"…_camera_…"

Damn, it was like a safety word now—Casey's curse.

"Fine," she sighed. "You baby."

"One massage and you think you can call me _baby?_" Derek tsked after she let his neck go. "You sure like to move quickly, Case."

Casey snorted in disgust and gave his back a pinch. In the process, she realized there really wasn't much there to grab—just muscle. That gave her a strange feeling, making her freeze.

"Problem, Space Case?"

She cleared her throat. "No, nothing."

Casey pressed her palms into Derek's back, causing him to release a moan. She rolled her eyes, trying not to blush and continued on with the massage.

Derek was officially in a state of ecstasy. Casey's hands worked their way over his knots and pains, erasing any lingering thoughts that were once on his mind. All he could concentrate on were those hands as they smoothed over his back.

Who knew she could give him such a…_feeling?_

Casey suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

A growl escaped Derek's throat. "No…don't stop…"

"I, um…" Her voice was small. "Could you _please_ not…make noises?"

_Noises…?_ Derek turned his torso slightly to take a look at her. Casey's gaze refused to meet his, but Derek could still see that her cheeks were a bright shade of pink.

"Noises? Are you…sure?" Derek asked, clearly confused.

"Yes. Very sure."

Derek tried to smirk. _That's…weird._ He was floored at the idea that Casey could have such an effect on him.

"Um, I have to…talk to Lizzie. About this boy problem she's having," Casey told him, still averting his eyes.

"Okay," Derek replied, propping himself up on his elbows.

Casey didn't move. She _couldn't_ move. After one peek at his toned shoulders and biceps, all she could do was stare in fascination.

"See something you like?" Derek asked, trying to appear smug. It didn't work and only made him sound like a nervous car salesman.

Casey jumped off of him, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, you wish."

And then Derek was left by himself, wondering what the _hell_ had just happened…

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 7 - hope you liked!**


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